YOUNGSTERS will be able to earn a sporting qualification at Blackburn Youth Zone thanks to a £250,000 grant.

The money, awarded by BT’s Supporters Club and the England Footballers Foundation (EFF), will help young people gain a Level One Coaching Award or a Sports Leadership Qualification from the Sports Leaders UK.

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The programme, ‘E3 – Enable, Educate, Empower’, aims to give people the opportunity to progress into employment, education or training to pursue careers in sport.

Members at the Jubilee Street centre will be able to take part in an eight-week course.

The partnership with EFF and BT Sport will also see young people take part in workplace taster days, a range of sporting activities and have the opportunity to meet members of the England football team.

Hannah Allen, chief executive at the youth zone, said participants will develop the confidence, skills and experience to then run their own coaching sessions in a sport of their choice for other young people in the Blackburn area.

She said: “The sporting industry is an extremely popular area that many young people would like to work in but it’s also one of the most difficult to break in to.

“This course will give them the opportunity to become professional coaches of the future.”